Police request court to quash FIR of DIG’s ‘murder’

Charges against suspects withdrawn after investigation

LAHORE:

Following investigations carried out for several months, the police have withdrawn charges against the suspects in a case registered after the suspicious death of a DIG, Shariq Jamal.

The department has requested a court to quash the FIR. At least eight suspects, including a woman officer of the Press Information Department, had been nominated in the report lodged by the daughter of the deceased, Hania Shariq, in October. She had accused the suspects of murdering her father to grab over Rs80 million rupees.

Investigation Officer (IO) Muhammad Qasim has submitted a report urging a court to quash the FIR.

Additional Session Judge Khalid Rehman noted that the court had been informed that that the SHO of Nishter Colony police station had prepared a report for cancellation on basis of investigations conducted by SI Qasim.

According to sources, the case is on the stage of verification for quashing, after which the FIR might be cancelled on court orders.

The suspects had obtained pre-arrest bail. After the police report, they withdrew their bail plea.

Read Lahore DIG Shariq Jamal found dead

DIG Jamal had died under suspicious circumstances at midnight on July 21.

Reportedly, he was with a female friend in a flat in Nishter Colony when his condition deteriorated. He was shifted to a hospital by the Rescue 1122 service, where he died during treatment.

Senior police officers visited the spot and the death was initially declared accidental. The autopsy report showed that there was no mark of injury on the body.

The police command had decided not to lodge an FIR in view of the circumstantial evidence. However, the family of Jamal protested and claimed that he had been murdered for money.

Read  Cop killed under mysterious circumstances

Eventually, the FIR had been registered in October on the compalint of the daughter of the deceased.

She had stated in the complaint that the suspects wanted to snatch money and property of her father by murdering him and portraying it as accidental death.

She alleged that the death had been caused by poisoning or overdose of medicine.

She added that the deceased was present in a sub office on the evening before his death and had told her mother that he had cash, including foreign currency, worth over Rs80 million, in a locker. She said a woman was expected to go to a mushaira with the deceased.

However, at around 12.30am, the family received the news of his death.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2024.